Acetylene-gas generator.



W. E. TRAVERS.

AEETYEENE GAS GENERATOR.

Y APPLICATION FILED OUT. 18.1907.

EATENTED JUNE23,11908.

UiiTE-D STATES PATENT orricn.

WILLIAM E. TRAVERS, or OAKLAND, oALiroRNiA, AssieNoR or ONE-FOURTH ToCHARLES 1 f A. BOWMAM or SAN FRANoIsCo, CALIFORNIA.`

T all-whom itmay concern;

Beit known that `LVILLIAM E. TRAvERs, citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Oak-A land, in the'county of Alameda and State ofCalifornia,y .have invented new and useful Improvements in Acetylene-GasGenerators,

of Which. the following is a specification.

My invention relates to `an .apparatus which is especially designed forthe generation ofacetylene gas, and forthe delivery of .the carbid intothe'waterv chamber at such lfully..feXplained -by reference to theaccom- 'intervals as therequirements for gas make necessary.

It consists in the combination of parts, and 1n details of'construction,which will be more pan'ying drawing, in which theiigure is averticalsection of the generator.

` It is the ob] ect of my invention to providey Ianapparatus for asteady and regulated generation lof acetylene gas, the' regulation beingdirected to a supply of the carbid from which the gasis generated, 'andvthis supply is controlled in turn by the amount and pressure of gasgenerated and used.

As shown in the drawings, A is a water containing chamber havingllanges, as at B, and C is a second chamber superposed upon-the chamberA, havingl similar flanges I3v at suitable intervals upon the peripheryand registering with the flanges B.

2 isa locking devicehaving a hook form, and'having pivoted to it a lever3, with a cam shaped end about the'fulcrum; and this lever .beingfulcrumed to the part 2, 'when turned invone direction draws the flangesof the two l'flanges to make a tight joint.

rece ltacles tegether and clamps them tightly, therebeing a suitablegasket between'the When the lever`l is 4turned in the other direction,the locking device is freed sufiiciently so that it may be turned-out ofthe slots in the flanges,

specification of Letters Patent.` Application led ctober 18, '1907.ASerial No. 398,038.

. floor 4 and the cone 5.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR,

Patented June as, 190s.

.cone .5,` is such that the carbid normally slides d/own the inclinedfloor 4 and rests against the cone 5,. When this cone is drawn up to fitthe opening in the floor it makes a substantially tight joint. When itis depressed .it provides an annular passage between itself and the edgeofthe floor opening, through which carbid may be discharged, and fallingover the base of the cone it is directed by the funnel-sha1` ed portion8 so as to fall into thejwater chamber in the receptacle A, where vitwill'bc acted upon, and gas :will be produced. The gas thus producedrises through thev hollow stem 6 and also through the annular channel.between the The-gas which passes up through the pipe or sternly] passesout through openings, as at 9, and'into a confined space betweendiaphragms l() and 11. These diaphragms are circular, or shaped toconform to thefexterior sha e of the chamber C, and their edges are camped between the flange at the top of the chamber@ and thecorresponding flange around the domeshaped top 'C,Which flange fits overvthe flange of the chamber C, and the two may be clamped together, thusholding the diaphragms l0 and 11 firmlyin place, and at the same timeforming a suitable gas-tightv joint. The central portion; of thediaphragm 10 is "secured to the stem 6 by clamping disks 12,'and thecentral portion of the diaphragmv 11 issimilarly secured by clampingdisks, the upper one of which, `13 is shown as being arched in shape,and eX- tending over a considerable area of the diaphragm 11'. v vthestem 6, together with movable in unison.

The stemf extends upwardly through a cylindricalL box orsleeve 14. uponthe top and center of the dome C, and also through a gland 15 having amilled head .16 by which it maybe turned. lThe upper end of the stem 6has an enlarged head, as at 17, against which the top ofthe gland maycontact, when raised, so as to draw the parts upwardly and close thecarbid chamber. The gland 15 is screw-threaded upon the outside, andfits corresponding screw-threads in the interior of the part 121. l/Vhenthefapparatus is out the cone 5', are

of service the, gland 15 is turned' in the screwthreads in the par-t 14until it pulls vthe stem upwardly, so that' the cone fitstightly 'in theThese two diaphragms andV opening in theloor 4; This prevents anypassage of carbid or gas through this space. A spring 18 lies betweenthe'disk 13 at the top of the upper diaphragm, and the bottom of thegland 15, and this spring will be compressed as the parts are raised;

Villen it is desired to set the apparatus in operation, the screw gland15-is turned so as to allow the parts to be depressed, the vdiaphragms,stem, and cone being moved downwardly until carbid is allowed topassthrough the annular channel around the cone, and into the water in thelower chamber. The gas 'thus produced will, as before stated, risethrough the ltubular stem 6 into the -space between the diaphragms 10and 1 1, and also `around the cone and through the body of carbidintothe interior of the chamber C. The pressure vupon the two diaphragnis 10and 11 is thus substantially balanced against that within the chamberabove the floor 4.

The chamber between the' two diaphragme 10 and 11 servesas a rece taclefor the gas produced, and 'which being oaded with moisture, would if notseparated from the carbid chamber, deposit said moisture upon the drycarbid within the chamber, with an injurious ellect thereon. Thisstructure forms an independent receptacle for'the gas, and thus proftects the carbid.

19 is a pipe having the upper end connect- I ing with the spacebetweenthe diaphragme 10 and 11, and the lower end passes through theinclined licor 4 into the-annular triangular-shaped chamber 20' betweenthe licor 4 and the bottom of the chamber C. From' this chamber the'gasis delivered outwardly through a' discharge passage, as at 21, and maythence be conveyed to a point of use.

The operation of the ldevice .will then vbe as follows: The gas beingproduced by the wetting of the carbid passes into the chambers as abovedescribed, and acting upon the upper diaphragm '11 it tends to raisethis diaphragm', and with it thev connected parts, including the cone 5;and as the amount of gas increases beyondwhat is discharged frein thisspace, the upward pressure will raise the cone so as'to reduce theannular passage through. which the carbid may pass; and 1t sufficientlyreduced, it may altogether arrest the passage of carbid` As soon as thegas pressure is suiiiciently 'reduc-ed, thesel parts' are allowed todrop, and again increase the passageffor the discharge of carbid.Sutil,- cient'a'ir 1s movable around the steinwhere it passes throughthe box or. sleeve 14 at the top, to allow the diaphragm to move freely1n either d1r ect1on. The apparatus thus becomes automatic in itsoperation, and it mayl be ladjusted by the screws so as to regulate' theamount of gas' manufactured to suit the necessities of use. v

By screwingl the gland lupwardly in the *sleeve 14, it will contact withthe head 17 ofthe. stem 6, and the whole device `ma be raised so ,as toclose the channel' aroun the cone, and stop the gas-making operation.

As shown 1n the drawing, the pipe 19 delivers the das into the chamber20 at a point diametrica y opposite the discharge 21, and

vthe chamber being filled with a suitable lilof the carbid chamber,ilexible diaphragms,

means for securing the diaphragms to the stem, an opening whereby gasmay pass through the stem and 'into the space between the diaphragms,.agas chamber formed' around the bas of the carbid chambena passageleading there'tofrom thespace between the diaphragms, and a dischargeopening from said gas chamber.' l

'2. In an apparatus of the character described, a water chamber, a suerposed carbid chamber having a cone-shaped' downwardly convergentfloor, with an exterior 'surrounding gas chamber below the loor, and acentral opening' leading into the water chamber, an upwardly convergentcone, a

hollow stem extending upwardly and from which the cone is'suspended,flexible dia phragms havin their peripheries secured gas-tight arounvvthe upper pai-t ofthe carbid chamber, disks between which thediaphragms are clamped and by which they are .secured .to the hollowStem, a gas 'passage opening from the stem to the space between thediaphragms, and a passagey from said space into .the gas chamber below,means for adjusting the cone and ldia hravms, said means com rising avscrew-threaded land movable wit the 'sleeve through whic i the stempasses, a head upon the upper end ot the stem, and a' spring locatedbetween the gland and the disk of the upper diaphragm.

In testimony whereofrl have hereunto set my hand in presence' of twosubscribing witnesses.

WILLIAMv E. TRAVERS. Witnesses:

GEO; H. STRONG, S. H. NioURsE.

